Trauma Informed Conference

On the 10 October 2024, the Humber Violence Prevention Partnership hosted a conference titled: Building Blocks for Trauma Informed Systems and Organisations.

There is a growing understanding of adversity, trauma and resilience and their impact on local communities. Our conference was designed to help our partners improve the way they work in preventing and responding to trauma.

The multi-disciplinary agenda included good practice examples and topics such as staff wellbeing, psychologically informed environments and tools to support self-assessment.

Aimed at leaders who can influence change in their teams and organisations, it was a fantastic opportunity for cross-sector discussions and insightful idea sharing.

Keep reading to discover the guest speakers and key takeaways from the conference.

The Guest Speakers

We were honoured to hear from our esteemed guest speakers, who shared their valuable insights and expertise on trauma informed practice:

• Dr Warren Larkin, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Warren Larkin Associates
• Cat Jones (Programme Partnership Manager), Katy Winfield (Community of Practice Manager) and Aimee Kirby (Project Lead in North East Lincolnshire's Youth Justice Service) from the Children and Young People’s Trauma Informed Care Programme
• Patrick Campbell, Project Team Leader at the JEFF Project
  
• Dr Victoria Burton, Dr Helen Gibson and Sarah Donkin from the University of Hull
• Julia Mitchell, Development Lead (Primary) at Thrive Co-operative Learning Trust
• Vicky Mounsour, Interim Headteacher at Oldfleet Primary School
• Amanda Hailes and Susie Winter, Co-founders of An Untold Story – Voices
• Dr Alex Macnamara, Public Health Registrar at Hull City Council
• Beccy Waring, Psychologist for the Homeless Mental Health Team at Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust
• Dr Joanne Robinson, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the NHS
• Chief Superintendent Tracy Bradley from Humberside Police
• Kathryn Hodgson, Founder of Katalyst4change

Key Takeaways to Become Trauma Informed

• Treating behaviours or ‘symptoms’ alone is not a solution. We need to help people link their past trauma/pain to the 'here and now' and find safer coping strategies. (Dr Warren Larkin)
• The Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership has created a care programme for children and young people. It provides qualitative and quantitative evidence on the effectiveness of a trauma informed approach and aims to develop a common language across multi-agencies.
• Young people need the right service, at the right time, in the right place. (Aimee Kirby and Patrick Campbell)
• From 2022-2023, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Humberside issued a pilot study to look at how best to support schools to reduce the harmful impact of trauma. After implementing this HU9 Pilot, Thrive Co-Operative Learning Trust and Oldfleet Primary School noticed that their staff became more compassionate towards young people and one another in recognition of the impact of trauma.
• The disadvantages faced by many women who are involved in street sex work is made worse by all forms of marginalisation and the misapplication of legislation. (Amanda Hailes and Susie Winter)
• Organisations need to embed the views and knowledge of people with lived experiences within their services. (Amanda Hailes and Susie Winter)
• Using the phrase “multiple unmet needs” moves judgement away from the individual. (Dr Alex Macnamara)
• A report titled, 'Break the Cycle' was funded by the Changing Futures' partnership programme.​ The report looks at the needs of people who face some of the highest levels of exclusion in society.​ It found that an estimated 15,900 individuals have one or more need in Hull - this is 8% of the city’s population. (Dr Alex Macnamara)
• Research shows that if given a choice, detainees in custody feel less threatened. For example, having ready access to drinking water in cells, instead of the detainee needing to request a drink. (Beccy Waring and Chief Superintendent Tracy Bradley)
• The Humber Teaching HNS Foundation Trust recently piloted ‘Making a Difference' - a trauma informed social work programme. The programme aims to enhance social workers’ roles through understanding the implications of trauma and adversity on communication and the value of social support.
• When we’re stressed, our brains are not in a state to learn, remember or plan. We lose creativity and the ability to self-reflect. It can also lead to decision fatigue and an increase in mistakes. (Kathryn Hodgson)
• People who have experienced trauma can be hypersensitive to others’ emotions. (Kathryn Hodgson)

Summary of the Event

By adopting trauma informed practices, we can create more supportive organisations and systems for everyone, including our service users and staff.

And most importantly, we need to listen to the lived experiences of those who have been affected by trauma and multiple unmet needs. Understanding and compassion can make a real difference in shaping change in our organisations.

More Information

If you would like any further information about the conference, please email us via the button below.

Our next event is the Data Sharing and Analytics Symposium on the 15 November. Read more about the event here.